After the huge success with my chicken nuggets, I wanted to make another chicken recipe. One that you will most likely fry in a lot of oil. Well, forget deep-fat frying! This Air Fryer Fried Chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Marinate the chicken in buttermilk (I am sharing my quick homemade version), then coat in flour, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese breading with spices. The simple bath in buttermilk helps keep the chicken juicy while air frying. The breading is perfectly seasoned and has a hint of toasted cheese. AMAZING!

Ingredients

chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)

buttermilk (or half and half and vinegar)

flour

breadcrumbs

Parmesan cheese

paprika

garlic powder

onion powder

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

How to make fried chicken in an air fryer?

Place chicken thighs in a large bowl and add buttermilk. Cover bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 8 hours).

Lightly spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat it to 380 degrees F, for 3 minutes.

Shake off excess of buttermilk of each chicken pieces and dip in breading mixture.

Place chicken thighs in air fryer, do not stack. Cook for 25 minutes.

Check the internal temperature of each chicken piece (see info below), cook for a few more minutes if needed.

Cooking times

thighs: set timer to 25 to 28 minutes and cook chicken until internal temperature is at least 180 degrees F.

breasts: set timer to 23 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Cook until internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.

strips: set timer to 15 to 17 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. Cook until internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.

nuggets:

Can I use frozen chicken?

If you have frozen chicken strips or nuggets, you can cook them in the air fryer as you would in the oven. It is not recommended to use frozen chicken breast or thighs.

Can I stack the chicken?

The air fryer cooks food by circulating the hot air around it so the surface of your food needs to be exposed to the air to be cooked properly. If you want to cook more than 4 pieces, I suggest doing so in batches.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer?

No, it is not necessary. If you do not want to wait for it to heat up, simply add 3 minutes to cooking time.

Hi! Is it possible to do this recipe in a regular oven with the fan on at 210 C? My friend made this in an air fryer and it was amazing but unfortunately we don’t have one yet and so we wanted to try it in a hot hot oven with the convection fan going.

I don’t see why you couldn’t. They both are convection and faster cooking than convention. The difference between counter top convection and an air fryer is that air fryers are smaller; therefore, they can cook the food a Bit faster. Another difference is the air fryer having a basket (a metal wire rack/basket with feet) that promotes air flow. That is no problem since you can put a rack on a low-sided tray. One other thing to keep in mind is that 210C is 410F. I would normally “fry” it at 450F, so you may need to cook higher temp or longer. If you are familiar with a convection oven, you are good to go!

Do these get turned over half way through? I noticed on other air fryer recipes the upside needed to be there over to get that crispy “fried” flavor from spraying the inside of fryer so top of chicken won’t be dry?

I just got an air fryer and wanted to try fried chicken in it and I found this recipe. I don’t usually leave reviews but wanted to on this one. This turned out wonderful, I filled the recipe to the T. My husband has had his doubts with my new air fryer purchase but after making this recipe, I won him over! Thanks for sharing, it’s a keeper.